Winter Rose
by M. Beth Tora
Summary: "Please, give me one day where I can walk amongst the humans and not bring illness to them. Please, let me be with them as one of them, as a human, just for one day. If you bring me this wish, I won't ask for this ever again." (Jack/OC)


Disclaimer: I haven't seen this movie, so please don't hate me for making Jack OOC.

Plague looked down at the humans of 1716, enjoying the winter weather and enjoying each other. She longed to be able to join them without causing their demise. It brought her great sorrow to know that she was unable to have friends like other spirits were able to. As it grew dark, families ushered children inside and couples retreated into private places. Plague remained alone, staring up at the sky after the unbearable longing became too much for her to handle. She saw the first star twinkle into life and she sighed.

"Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Please take this wish I wish tonight," she recited before closing her eyes. "Please, give me one day where I can walk amongst the humans and not bring illness to them. Please, let me be with them as one of them, as a human, just for one day. If you bring me this wish, I won't ask for this ever again."

She opened one eye, and then the other, before looking down at herself. She sighed when she still had the same sticky brown-green hair and the same dirty white dress and the same sickly pale skin. She pouted before climbing down from the tree she was perched in and crawling into the abandoned foxhole that resided at the base of it. Once curled up nice and warm, she closed her eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When she next awoke, there was a bracelet on her wrist and a piece of parchment under her hand. She lifted it up and discovered it was a letter:

_I have heard your wish and sympathized with your heart. You are human, but not forever. I've given you not one, but fourteen days to enjoy your granted wish. I have also given you a bracelet to remind you that you are not forever human. After each day, a knot in the bracelet will disappear, and after fourteen days, the bracelet will vanish and you will once again be the spirit of illness. Use your time wisely._

Plague sat up and looked at her hands. No longer were they sickly pale, but now colored with life. Her hair was a warm auburn color, and her dress was replaced with a warm wool dress. That was when she realized how very cold it was. She dug herself out of the foxhole before nearly being trampled by small feet.

"Whoa! I didn't see you there!" the little girl said, kneeling down to be brown eye to green eye with Plague, "Nice hiding spot! Mind if I borrow it sometime?" The new human had no idea what to say, but allowed the first thing to come out of her mouth.

"S-Sure," she said, "I-I don't mind. But could you move so I could get out?" The little brunette girl scurried to give the other some space as Plague climbed out.

"Wow! Your cheeks and nose are so red! You must have been down there for a long time!" the little girl said in awe when the taller of the two finished climbing out, "I'm Blair Overland! What's your name?"

Plague had to pause. She couldn't honestly say that she was Plague, spirit of illness without at the very least creeping out this little girl. She looked around before seeing a deep red flower, remembering what it was called quickly.

"I'm… Rose. Rose…er… Underwood," Plague said with a nervous smile. Blair seemed skeptical at first, but didn't question it.

"Do you wanna play with me and my brother?" the brunette inquired, "we were going to play hopscotch and go on the swing and have lots of fun!" Plague, now Rose, considered the idea.

"Alright," she decided, "I'll go with you. But I don't know how to play those games." Blair seemed flabbergasted that someone didn't know the games she spoke of.

"You don't know hopscotch?! Or how to swing?!" she gasped out. "Jack can teach you! Jack's my brother. He's so smart, I bet he can teach you how to play in no time at all!" With that, Blair grabbed Rose's hand and led her to where her brother supposedly was. "Jack! Jack! Where are you?" All of a sudden, something jabbed into Rose's sides, causing her to jump and scream. When the two girls spun around, there was a brunette teenage boy standing there with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Jack!" the little girl cried out before running up to the boy and hugging him. "Jack, this is my friend, Rose! Rose, this is my big brother, Jack!" Blair introduced, looking between the two.

"It's nice to meet you," Rose said with a shy smile, holding out her hand. Jack smiled back before taking her hand.

"Your name matches you face, it's as red as a rose," Jack said, his genuine smile turning into a smirk. This caused Rose to blush even more before touching her face. "I'm kidding, you're face isn't that red, Only your cheeks and nose are," he said with a laugh.

"Jack! Jack, she doesn't know how to play hopscotch or how to swing!" Blair said, tugging on her brother's cloak. "She doesn't?" Jack asked, arching a brow and looking at his sister, "Well, we'll have to teach her how to then, won't we?"

The next several hours were spent teaching Rose how to play and then enjoying the fruits of their labor. Before they knew it, there was a sound of a woman's voice.

"That's Mom!" Blair said, jumping off the swing, "She's probably calling us in for dinner." She then turned to Rose, "You're coming, right?" Before the teenage girl could answer, an arm flung over her shoulders. "Of course she's coming!" Jack said with a grin, "It wouldn't be fair for her not to have Mom's fantastic cooking." Blair smiled as the trio started walking up to the cabin.

Rose's first day was spent with the Overland's; playing games, listening to stories, enjoying good food. By the end of the day, she was utterly surprised that they offered her even more kindness.

"Do you need someone to walk you home Rose? I imagine your parents are worried sick about you," Mrs. Overland asked, "Jack can walk you if you'd like." Rose hesitated before answering, "I… I don't have any parents… I'm kind of wandering from place to place." The whole house quieted at this information. It wasn't a lie, Plague had no parents, nor did she really live anywhere.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Mrs. Overland inquired worriedly, "Where are you sleeping at night?"

"She's sleeping in foxholes!" Blair realized, "I found her in one this morning, it's why her face was so red." All eyes were on Rose, waiting for an answer.

"I-I only stayed in a foxhole last night. I just sleep wherever I can find shelter," the curly haired girl explained, trying to sooth their concern. But it only seemed to confirm their thoughts.

"Well, from now until you find somewhere better, you'll be staying here, with us," Mr. Overland said with a nod. "You can stay with the children in their room." And so it was decided, all four children climbed in together in the bed and cuddled up together. There was no room to toss or turn in the bed, unless you slept at everyone's feet which Rose wasn't too keen on doing. When she almost fell out of the bed, a hand held onto hers and pulled her back in.

"I know it's crowded," Jack whispered over the sleeping children, "But at least it's warm." Rose couldn't help but smile, gently squeezing Jack's hand over the shoulders of the children and then falling asleep herself.

A few days passed and the family welcomed Rose in as if she were one of their own. All except for Jack, who had become best friends with the curly haired girl. Rose was quickly learning how to detect when Jack was going to pull a prank and was quick to dodge it or counter it with her own trick. Though her tricks were often followed by one of Jack's pranks, which showed that he was the king of tricksters. But one thing Rose admired about Jack is that even when he played a trick on one of his siblings, he would always make sure that the trick was nothing that would hurt them.

"_There was a man lived in the moon, lived in the moon, lived in the moon. There was a man lived in the moon and his name was Aiken Drum," _Jack and Rose sang together as they watched Blair and Kyle play hopscotch, _"And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a ladle. And he played upon a ladle and his name was Aiken Drum."_ "Rose, where did you learn that song?" Kyle asked as he paused at one of the squares of hopscotch. Rose paused and tried to remember, where had she learned that song?

"I can't remember, Kyle. All I remember is hearing it a lot," she replied with a shrug.

"Well, wherever you learned it, it's a good song. And it makes people hungry," Jack said with a chuckle as his siblings continued playing hopscotch. He then nudged Rose, causing her to look at him. She yelped when he lightly pinched the tip of her nose, but then giggled when she realized he was just being playful.

"You nipped my nose," Rose tittered with a blush. Jack grinned and shrugged before being tackled by Blair.

"Are you pretending to be Jack Frost, Jack?" the little girl asked.

"Who me? Never!" the teen responded teasingly, "I'm Jack Overland, not some mythical person who brings the winter and snow." Once the younger ones tired out from playing, Jack and Rose carried them towards home.

"Hey, hey Rose," Jack whispered so the drowsy children wouldn't understand him, but the other teen would, "Meet me by the lake after we finish supper, okay?" Rose arched a brow, but nodded anyway.

And just as they had agreed, Rose met Jack by the lake by their house. Jack stood facing away from the frozen water and towards the approaching teenager, his hands under his cloak and behind his back.

"You're not going to throw a snowball at me, are you?" Rose asked, starting to kneel close to the snowy ground to start scooping up a snowball.

"I didn't invite you out here to pull a prank on you, Rose," Jack said, his words stopping the curly haired girl's actions, "I invited you out here to talk in private." Rose seemed confused and almost concerned with Jack's behavior. "Since you showed up, I've been… happier. Happier than I ever think I've ever been. I don't know what it is, Rose, but something about you just makes me want to smile. You have to believe me when I tell you that you drive me crazy in the best of ways."

"There is a good way to be driven crazy?" Rose asked with a slight smile. Jack sighed and smiled back at her.

"I didn't think so, not until recently anyway," he started before nodding over towards himself, "come 'ere, I wanna give you something." Rose cautiously approached Jack before standing in front of him. "Now, close your eyes," he instructed her. The brunette female did as she was told before feeling something in her hair. She then felt something warm press against her nose. "Open you eyes," it was almost a whisper, but Rose heard it. When she opened, Jack was blushing and smiling shyly at her. Her fingers went to her hair before feeling… petals?

"It's called a Winter Rose, they only grow when the weather is cold and dark. When I saw it, I thought of you," the taller of the two explained. Rose went to thank Jack when he did something that surprised her.

He swooped down and planted a kiss on her lips.

It wasn't long, but it was deep. The chaste action was filled with warmth that contradicted the weather around them. And when it broke, Jack stepped back away from Rose, his cheeks bright red, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- I mean, I wanted to, because I like you- but I shouldn't have, I should have waited until-" the brunette boy was cut off by a pair of lips against his. Rose let her fingers grip onto Jack's cloak as she kissed him. Words were whispered into each other's lips as arms wrapped around warm bodies. There was a yelp as Rose tripped backward and the two landed in the snow.

"Rose," Jack whispered against the girl's lips, "I need to tell you." The kiss was broken and both of their cheeks were bright and rosy. "Rose…" the young man was breathless as he pulled her up into a sitting position, "I only suspected it before, but now I'm sure of it. Rose, I love you." The teen girl looked shocked before hugging Jack tightly.

"I love you too, Jack. I think I've loved you since the moment I met you," Rose whispered into his ear. She then pulled away to look at him, to see him smiling at her.

"I was so afraid that you wouldn't share my feelings. I was so afraid that you only saw me as a friend," he said, placing a hand on her head, "You couldn't make me happier, Rose. I promise I'll love you forever." The two kissed again before a cold wind brought them back to reality.

"We need to get back inside before it gets too cold," Jack said, pulling Rose closer so she was partially covered by the cloak. She cuddled close before Jack pulled her up into a standing position before the two huddled together and walked back to the cabin. That night when the two fell asleep, they held hands not only to keep each other in the bed, but also to remind the other that they were there for the other.

The two become inseparable, going everywhere together and doing everything together, from playing games to doing chores. It was only a sort of secret that the two were in love, only because both of them were really bad at hiding it. Jack would try to sneak a kiss and end up nipping Rose on the nose teasingly, and it was everything that Rose could do not to just cuddle Jack at every turn. They would smile and giggle at each other, neither really minding when they were caught. Except when the little ones noticed.

"Oooh! Jack's in love!" Blair cooed when she found the two sitting up in a tree kissing. And Kyle couldn't resist, "Rose and Jack, sitting in a tree!" And then Blair joined in, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the baby carriage!"

Jack jumped down from the tree and started chasing off his siblings, the two running off and giggling. While that was happening, Rose looked down at her wrist to look at her bracelet. For some reason, she felt like there was something important about the bracelet. Especially when a knot would disappear every morning when she woke up. Something told her that something bad would happen when the knots were all gone. There were only five left, and her fears were only increasing. And apparently, her fear showed, because when Jack returned, he instantly looked concerned.

"What's wrong, Rose?" he asked, looking up at his girl, "Why do you have that look? Is something bothering you?" Rose looked back at Jack and bit her lip.

"Jack… I don't remember anything before I met you and your sister," she explained, "I just sort of appeared here, like I wasn't anywhere or anyone before I met you guy… what if…" she took a breath and looked at Jack before continuing, "What if I disappear just like I appeared? What if I just vanish all of a sudden?" Jack climbed up the tree and held Rose close.

"Rose, people don't just disappear. I don't know where you came from or how you got here, but I know you're not going to just disappear. You're going to stay here, with me, forever. There's no need to worry," he reassured her, stroking her hair lovingly. Rose cuddled closer to Jack before holding up her wrist and looking at it again.

"I feel like this bracelet means something… every morning when I wake up, a knot in it is gone… I'm afraid, Jack. Afraid that when all the knots are gone-" She was interrupted by lips crashing into hers, silencing her confession. She felt a hand on her wrist and then the hand was gone.

"Forget about this thing," Jack whispered against his girl's lips, "Forget about everything. Just focus on me… on us." With that, he tucked the bracelet into his pocket and continued to press kisses onto Rose's mouth.

And she did just as Jack had told her. With the exception of chores, Rose forgot about everything except Jack and his love for her. Of course, she knew she had to share him with his siblings and family, but that was to be expected. But it would soon bring regret. One night, Rose felt terribly ill. Jack and the Overland's tried to take care of her, but there was only so much she could do. That night, around midnight, she managed to stumble outside and get some fresh air when suddenly, it hit her.

"Oh no…!" she looked down at herself to find her warm clothes were disappearing and being replaced with a dirty white dress, her deep brown curls turning to sickly yellow brown dreadlocks, and her rosy skin fading to it's original sickly pale. She fell to her knees and sobbed.

"How could this end now?!" she cried, "For once in my entire immortal life, I was happy! And now…! Now… it's gone…" She looked back at the cabin before going in and taking a piece of parchment and writing a letter.

_My Dearest Jack, My fears have been realized. By the time you read this, I will have disappeared. But I want you to know that I have never nor will I ever love someone as much or in the same way that I love you. Please, never forget me. Yours Forever, Rose Underhill_

Plague placed the letter where Jack would find it in the morning before going to lean down to kiss him one last time. But then she paused. She wasn't Rose anymore, if she kissed Jack, there was a good chance he would get terribly ill. So, taking a shaky breath, Plague stood up, turned around and left.

The next morning, the Overland home was filled with the sound of Jack's sobs. He had lost the thing that had made him truly happy, and he didn't even have her bracelet to show for it.

"Why didn't I listen to her?! I-I should have protected her better! I c-can't believe she's gone! W-Why did she leave?!" he sobbed into his pillow. The whole day was spent like this, until finally that night he cried himself to sleep. And, having been unable to venture too far, Plague heard all of it. She cried with Jack, though not beside him. She looked up at the darkening sky before seeing a star.

"Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Please grant this wish I wish tonight," she recited before closing her tearful eyes, "Please. I know I promised not to wish to be human again, but I love Jack. So please, let me be with Jack Overland forever…!"

Several days later, Jack was dragged out of bed by Blair, "Come on! I wanna go ice skating! And staying in bed all day isn't going to bring her back." After some major encouragement, he pulled himself out of bed and put on his cloak.

"Be careful," Mrs. Overland called to them as the two walked out.

"We will," Jack called back, forcing a smile to keep his mother and sister happy. Little did they know that Plague's wish would come true.

Authors Notes: So, Plague/Rose is my OC. Everyone and their puppy has done the whole "North has a daughter that Jack falls in love with" thing, so I decided to do something different. Plague is as little as a sniffle and as much as, well, the plague. She's not bad, as you can tell, she just has a really sucky job. And, if I decide to write about it, you find out later that she is reunited with Jack. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Winter Rose!


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